Prof. Shuji Nakamura demonstrates different LED lights during a presentation in Santa Barbara, Calif. when he was awarded the $1.2 million Millennium Technology Prize for revolutionary inventions in light and laser technology. AP
Who won?
Japanese scientists Isamu Akasaki, 85, a professor at Meijo University, Nagoya, and Hiroshi Amano, 54, a professor at Nagoya University; and American scientist Shuji Nakamura, 60, of the University of California at Santa Barbara.
For what?
For inventing blue light-emitting diodes, or LEDs, that has enabled companies to create a light that appears white, allowing them to replace traditional bulbs while keeping the same color tones that consumers feel comfortable with.
Significance
The development of blue LEDs has in just two decades helped spread the use of these energy efficient and environment-friendly light sources.
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